Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-05-30
The Train Dispatcher.

There is a class of railway employ
es. almost wholly unknown To pas
sengers, whose responsibility l. 50
much greater, and whose slightest
omission might jeopar,lize the lives
of people on trains more than any
oversight on the part of conductors
or engineers, that il is indeed strange
that they are so seldom mentioned in
the public prints. This class il the
train dispatchers, whose every order
is implicitly obeyed by trainmen and
while the crew of one train il re-
sponsible for the movements of that
train alone. the dispatcher holds in
his hands the lives of every mdiVld-
ual on every train ON the road; and
on a road having large traffic the
duties imposed ON him are very great
and arduous.
His position in the railway service
is unique; were all trains running on
time and provided for on the period
ical time table issued by the compa-
ny, he would have no duties to per
form; but trains will get delayed and
occasions will arise requiring extra
trains. or trains without any specified
time or rights, to be run over the
road. and then his services are neces-
sary to avoid hours of delay.
All trains on railroads are divided
in classes, according to their import
ance; generally two, passenger and
freight; and all trains of one class
running in a specified direction have
the right of the road, or need keep no
lookout for trains of the same or a
lower class running in the opposite
direction. Thus it is assumed that
on a certain railroad trains running
eastward have the right of way over
trains running westward then an
east bound passenger train can RIM
the whole length of the road in entire
disregard of all trains another pas
senger train going west need only 10
look out for the east bound passenger
train, while the freight trains must
keep out of the way of both passen-
ger trains and of the freight train
which is running in the direction pre-
scribed as having the right of road
Every one understands that all
trains are chartered. or have time
given for passing each station. which
time can in no instance be anticipat-
ed, and hence all trainmen know
where all other trains ought to be al
any particular moment, if on time
but as trains frequently and generally
get late, the train of inferior class
must have its movement expedited by
some eXtraneous cause. or it may be
delayed for hours awaiting a train
| that may have been wrecked, or has
| been kept back for some other of
many causes. Then the duties of the
train dispatcher are of Importance.
He will probably give an order to the
delayed train by telegraph directing
it not to go beyond a certain place
which he thinks it can reach without
difficulty, and he directs the opposing
| train to proceed to the same place
and there pass the other train, and in
that manner the trains are enabled to
/ pass each other without any delay IL
either. His great responsibility con
sists in that he may have "A dozen
other trains in his charge at the same
| time, and in directing one train to 70
beyond its usual place to meet anoth-
er he may neglect to give an order q
! the second train, and in such an event
collision would probably ensue,
much property be destroyed and
probably lives be lost.
1t will readily be seen that the
slightest mistake Of a train dispatcher
might cause serious results and ia
this respect his responsibility il prob
ably greater than that Of any other
individual under whose charge the
public are placed.